Archive for November, 2012

Just when we thought static print ads were taking a backseat to digital media, the two worlds collide (in a good way) in a Lexus 2013 ES campaign featured in Sports Illustrated.

Check out this YouTube video to experience how the Lexus model comes to life with the help of an innovative technology called CinePrint and an Apple iPad. By holding the iPad behind the magazine page and pressing play, the reader gets a sneak peek at new features as the car takes a spin, all synchronized to music. The ad’s messaging is enhanced and becomes all the more impactful, resulting in a surprising, memorable interaction between brand and consumer.

Imagine the possibilities of this technology for our activations. What would you do with CinePrint?

Recently turning 42 made me do some thinking. Not about being a better person or climbing Mt. Everest. No, something hit me. The extremism that populated my youth seems to have evaporated. Back then, a few years time would drastically change the pop culture landscape. Think about it – disco, then new wave, followed by hair metal, indie, grunge and all of this was surrounded by equally absurd fashion trends. If one joined the Peace Corps and went off the grid for a couple of years, they would return to find a superficially very different country from the one they left behind.

But then, at some point in the late-90s, extremism seemed to fade out. Take a look at the cast of a pop culture phenomenon, like Friends, in 2000, and you’re probably not going to find anything particularly laughter-inducing about their appearance. Sure we’ve progressed, but that was 12 years ago. Just imagine people in 2000 sporting 1988 looks and listening to crap hair metal with crunch perms and fringed acid washed denim jackets – they would have been laughed out of the room.

I somehow picked up on this trend of non-trends through the last decade and complacently updated my clothes and haircuts only when absolutely necessary. No one seemed to particularly care or notice. That was until several years ago when I was at a meeting and working for a former employer. The iPhone had recently come out and, always the practical one, I felt that my old Samsung phone still worked just fine. It was a FLIP PHONE after all. I was sitting in a client meeting flanked by my two superiors and threw my phone on the table to make sure I didn’t miss anything important. The shock in the room was palpable and my boss hissed at me to hide it. He actually physically removed the phone from the table and threw it back into my backpack. After the meeting, he curtly explained that my phone was, quite simply, an embarrassment to the company and “did I not realize that I was eligible for a company iPhone?” That’s when it dawned on me – outdated technology is the new mullet.

Don’t believe me? Next time you go to a meeting and ESPECIALLY a meeting with new clients or potential agency partners, watch how fast everyone is to flaunt their phones, iPads, iPad Minis, Macbooks, and whatever the hell else they pull from their Jack Spade bags. They can walk in looking like hobos but their technology gives them an instant pass to legitimacy.

We knew we were in for a big event when we found out that TopSpin 2012 was sold out three weeks in advance. Held again at 82 Mercer, this year’s event was the largest to date. Over 150 players competed in the either the open tournament, corporate challenge or celebrity division.

This year’s center court was the main attraction, surrounded by bleachers, moving lights, projections and an elevated umpire chair where table tennis pro Wally Green held court! Center Court saw New York Knicks great Allan Houston knock off former Chicago Bulls guard Ron Harper to win the Celebrity Tournament, Cecilia Chen win the Team Up Challenge and Williams Forrest take home the Corporate Challenge title. Center Court also hosted professional demonstrations and an impromptu match between Jerry Stackhouse of the Brooklyn Nets and 30 Rock star (and ping pong enthusiast) Judah Friedlander.

No matter where you looked, athletes, executives and leaders in business and education were playing ping pong, networking and most importantly lending their time to raise money and awareness for this year’s three chosen charities: Change for Kids, Horizons – Brooklyn Friends School and Fayetteville-Manlius, A Better Chance.

Take the time to visit www.topspincharity.com to learn more about the cause and see how you can lend support throughout the year.

As you all know, the 2012 ING New York City Marathon did not occur this year. Instead, we saw thousands of New Yorkers and visitors from abroad lending a hand to those less fortunate. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many folks are trading their running shoes for work boots and shipping out to Long Island, Staten Island, New Jersey and The Rockaways to provide aid for citizens who were chased from their homes by the massive storm surge.

After watching my roommate Jeff run the marathon last year, and in watching his preparation this year, I can tell you that the amount of hard work and dedication it takes to cross that finish line is impressive to say the least. Of course, athletes like Jeff who prepared to run were…well, still prepared to run in the aftermath. However, upon learning of the cancellation, many of them quickly shifted their energy to a different type of marathon: the recovery effort.

In the days following the storm, Jeff and I put together a small troop of friends and set out to lend a hand as volunteers. What we saw when we arrived at the scene was staggering. It was literally a sea of people. People from all walks of life bundled up, waiting in lines for their turn to lend a helping hand. Heaps of clean clothes, canned foods and rows of cars (dubbed transports) all being selflessly provided in the midst of gas shortages, power outages, floods and severely limited subway transportation.

In that moment, I learned that runners and New Yorkers have one thing in common. Resolve. Whether you’re a trained athlete or an ordinary city dweller just trying to pick up the pieces in the wake of the storm, you know what it takes to make it to the finish line. We’ve been here before, and as we’ve shown again and again, this city never gives up. Like the runner who raises his arms in celebration as he takes his final stride, we too will triumph through the storm, and we will do it together. Because that’s what New Yorkers do. That’s what we’ve always done, and that’s what makes us the greatest city in the world.

With NIKE and Georgetown’s long-standing relationship, it’s only fitting that NIKE’s latest retail endeavor pays homage to the city, the school and the legacy of Georgetown athletics.

On Thursday October 25, legendary Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson Jr. opened up the new NIKE Georgetown store with stories from the early days of Georgetown basketball, noting the impact Phil Knight and NIKE made on the program. Also on hand to join in the celebration, and witness Coach Thompson cutting the ribbon, were former players Mark Tillman, Michael Graham and Patrick Ewing.

Keeping the athlete appearances going, that evening NIKE Georgetown invited college students from the area to come meet Olympic hurdler Dawn Harper and break a sweat with World Cup champion Brandi Chastain in a Nike Training Club workout. The night was filled with college soccer players who were inspired by Brandi’s skills on the field (and likely recall her notable sports bra episode in the 1999 World Cup) and runners who could not wait to try on Dawn Harper’s Olympic medals.

Topping off the opening weekend, NIKE Georgetown fueled a high school rivalry between DC schools DeMatha Chatholic High School and Gonzaga College High School. While Gonzaga may have taken home the win, both schools were decked out in NIKE limited edition Fast is Faster t-shirts.